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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · date · bank · lash · hand · mark · fan · chest

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bank — for money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chest — of your body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. hand — help
  13. bank — of a river
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mark — a grade
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bank — for money
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. drill — army training
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mark — to pay attention

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com